The Russian war against Ukraine is nearing its two-month mark with no clear end in sight. The human suffering caused by the war, including reported human rights violations by Russian forces, is terrible to contemplate.[1] Further, the ongoing US confrontation with Russia over Ukraine carries its own set of dangers: a more uncompromising stance toward … Continue reading Untying the Knot of War: Seek Negotiation, Not Escalation, in Ukraine
Month: May 2022
A Hidden Cost of the Ukraine War: How Russia’s Invasion Encourages the Spread of Nuclear Weapons
The terrible toll of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is plain to see: thousands killed and millions driven from their homes.[1] The invasion also threatens to bring about a nuclear disaster. Fighting around Ukraine’s nuclear power plants might cause an accident like that at Chernobyl almost 36 years ago.[2] The war also might draw NATO into … Continue reading A Hidden Cost of the Ukraine War: How Russia’s Invasion Encourages the Spread of Nuclear Weapons
A People in Agony: How the United States Continues to Fuel the Yemen War
A war between Yemen and the nearby states of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been going on for seven years as of this March. The war began March 25, 2015, with a Saudi-led intervention in Yemen’s civil war. The intervention has involved a bombing campaign against Yemen that has continued into … Continue reading A People in Agony: How the United States Continues to Fuel the Yemen War
Opposing War amid Repression: Anti-War Efforts in Russia
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has rightly provoked widespread condemnation. Perhaps the most important source of such condemnation has been the Russian people, many of whom have protested or otherwise dissented from their government’s actions. Peace-minded people around the world would do well to acknowledge anti-war efforts in Russia and to recognize our allies in … Continue reading Opposing War amid Repression: Anti-War Efforts in Russia
A Catastrophe Decades in the Making: The Russian Invasion of Ukraine
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a monstrous injustice. Russia’s blatant aggression of 2022 recalls such similar infamous episodes as the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, repression of a rebellion in Hungary in 1956, and annexation of the Baltic states in 1940. Precisely how many people have been killed since the invasion began … Continue reading A Catastrophe Decades in the Making: The Russian Invasion of Ukraine
A Defense against Threats or a Cause of Them? The United States’ Global Military Presence
The United States’ military presence extends across the earth. US military personnel are located in hundreds of US bases and outposts in dozens of countries around the globe. Like the US military’s enormous size (about 1.3 million troops) and enormous expense (over $700 billion per year), American troops’ international presence demonstrates the US military establishment’s … Continue reading A Defense against Threats or a Cause of Them? The United States’ Global Military Presence
Achieving Diplomatic Breakthroughs in the Past and Future: The “Opening to China” after 50 Years
China and the United States began a new era in their relationship 50 years ago this February. The arrival in Beijing of US President Richard Nixon, on February 21, 1972, and his subsequent meetings with Chinese leaders Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai marked a resumption of relations between the two countries after decades of hostile … Continue reading Achieving Diplomatic Breakthroughs in the Past and Future: The “Opening to China” after 50 Years
Help War’s Victims: End the Economic Punishment of Afghanistan
Having already endured decades of civil war, Afghanistan’s people must now face economic collapse and abysmal poverty. The Taliban’s victory, in August 2021, over the US-backed Afghan government led to a dramatic decrease in foreign support to Afghanistan. The United States has also placed economic sanctions on Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. These events have contributed to a … Continue reading Help War’s Victims: End the Economic Punishment of Afghanistan
Peacemaking for Life 